


Not That Essential

by TheSarcasticKnight



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Both vintage and designer, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Baggage, Explicit Language, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Found Family, History of trauma, Hurt/Comfort, I'm mixing MCU canon with comics canon, I'm still in deep denial about that, Illegal Activities, In my head Endgame never happened so, Just playing with it all sorts of ways, Multi, No "Language" Joss Whedon stuff here ok, Original Character(s), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma, Stevie is dropping f-bombs just warning you now, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, attempt at adoption, criminal activity, i really do try
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:01:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28556550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSarcasticKnight/pseuds/TheSarcasticKnight
Summary: This is just a book of deleted scenes and drabbles from 'Not That Lucky'. I decided I wanna keep it separate from the main story just to keep it a little more organized!
Relationships: Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov, James "Bucky" Barnes/Original Female Character(s), James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Original Female Character(s), Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Original Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Billy Bones' Broken Bar

__

* * *

_"You treat an outside wound with rubbing alcohol, and an inside wound with drinking alcohol. It's science." –Nick Miller (New Girl)_

* * *

"You're kidding me, right?" Tony exclaimed in disbelief. I grinned at his shocked features as he stared at the sketchy ass building in front of us. Admittedly, Billy's didn't look so great from the outside. It also didn't look so great on the inside, but it was my home for five years. I probably spent more time in this bar than I did my own apartment.

It was technically the bottom floor of an apartment complex, half of the bottom floor at least, and the front was made of red, crumbling brick with weeds littering the area where brick met concrete sidewalk. The windows were too dirty to look through, but there were thick, iron bars set in front of them.

Tony turned away from the building to look at me, "We are not going in there."

"You lost the bet!" I complained.

"First of all, you caught me in a damn loophole." Tony argued, then he motioned back to the building with the sunglasses he tore from his face, "Secondly, if we go in there, we are definitely getting our kidneys stolen."

I rolled my eyes, "God, you're dramatic."

"I feel like I'm getting tetanus just standing here." Tony groaned glancing around. The few people on the street who did pass us stared at Tony like he was an alien. For all intents and purposes, he kind of was. The look on his face told me he at least felt like one.

I looped my arm through his and began to pull us forward, "Billy's looks like shit, but this place has the best drinks in the city."

"Oh, I seriously doubt that."

"When we get in here, don't embarrass me." I said. We pushed into the door and the air went from sharp, cold, and crisp to moldy, dusty, and stale. Ah, home sweet home. It was 8 AM on a Monday so you'd think we'd be the only people out and about, but a few tables were taken up by other patrons. Billy's was a 24/7 kind of place. "Honey, I'm home!"

A familiar face popped up from under the bar, and I barely had time to react before they grabbed a glass off the counter and chucked it at me. I grabbed Tony by the front of his band shirt and yanked him down with me. The glass hit the wall behind us and shattered into pieces.

"What the fuck—" Tony began to yell, but his voice was overshadowed by another.

"Aj fucking Bradshaw!"

"Hey, Alex. You miss me?" I gave them a lopsided grin and slight wave. My nonchalant greeting did nothing but make the frown on their face deepen. Like always, they looked the same as they always did. Alex's short, blonde hair was longer on one side, shaved on the other, but right now it was hidden under a backwards, tan baseball cap. Their hazel eyes sat behind a pair of large wire-frame glasses that I knew they only wore for the aesthetic.

Alex scoffed, "Where the fuck have you been?" Their eyes drifted past me to the bewildered Tony, "Holy shit, did you bring Tony fucking Stark here?"

"Don't you read tabloids, Alex? I'm fucking him." I joked, and I heard Tony choke on his spit behind me.

Alex smirked with a laugh, "Oh, yeah right. I know your type and pretty boy doesn't do it for ya."

"Excuse me?" Tony snapped. "I'm a catch."

I chuckled and dragged Tony over to the bar where Alex was standing. They had a white button up shirt with birds decorating it. Their already short sleeves rolled up even further. Tony sat down onto the barstool beside me and shook his head with a low whistle.

"Tony this is Alex. Alex this is Tony." I introduced them.

"So, you're not the infamous Billy, then?" Tony joked.

Alex nodded to the corner of the bar, "Nah, he is." I followed Tony's gaze over our shoulder where Billy sat in the corner passed out drunk. Apparently, he hadn't moved since last I was here. "What can I get you guys?"

"What do you have that won't give me dysentery?" Tony asked.

I rolled my eyes, "This place is shit, I told you, but Alex is the best bartender in the city."

Alex nodded their head, "Aj's dumb as shit, but she's right on that."

"I'll take my morning usual. He'll take an old fashioned." I ordered.

Tony shrugged and laced his fingers against the bar table. His eyes took in the bar around him again while Alex made our drinks. Tony finally looked back to me, "So this was your watering hole?"

"Yupp." I replied fondly.

"It's just as dreary and depressing as I imagined it would be." Tony mumbled.

I chuckled and shook my head. Sure, this place had some real shitty memories, but it had some good ones associated with it too. Alex wasn't a friend. I had no friends back then, but if I was open to having friends, I would've picked them as one. Alex listened to me vent when I needed to vent, they told me to shut the hell up when I needed to shut the hell up, and they never seemed to mind when I ended up in a bar fight with some other patron.

"Old fashioned for Iron Man." Alex set the drink in front of him, then handed me my own, "Earl Gray Bourbon for the idiot."

Tony gave my drink a questioning look, "What the hell is that?"

"Earl gray tea with our buddy Jim Beam." Alex answered.

I lifted my drink to him. Tony rolled his eyes, picked up his own drink, clinked it with mind, and we both drank. I forgot how much I missed Alex's drinks until just now. Nothing better to start your morning with. I watched Tony as his eyes widened with pleasant surprise.

"How'd I do, Mr. Stark?" Alex asked.

Tony hummed then chuckled, "That's a damn good drink, Alex."

"Told you so." I said softly and continued to sip on my own drink. Alex went into the details of how they made it for Tony, and Tony commented that it was the same as any other person. Logically it made no sense why Alex was so much better at making drinks than any other person in New York, but hey the world was weird like that.

"How much do I have to pay you to come work closer to the Tower?" Tony questioned. "The money you make here can't be more than minimum wage."

"Oh, it's less." Alex replied. "Nobody tips here."

"Then why work here?" Tony pressed.

Alex shrugged their shoulders, "Billy's is mine. Sure, it technically belongs to Billy Bones—"

"There is no way that's his real name." Tony mumbled.

"—but I take care of this place." Alex finished. "I've made it my own." Tony nodded in respect and Alex's eyes rolled back over to me with a small glare, "Now, back to you."

I raised my hands in surrender, "I meant to call. My bad."

"I lost half my clientele because the ring closed, which fuck that place anyways, but I find out you're the reason why?" Alex shook their head. Tony began to speak up, but I raised a hand to stop him. Alex continued, "You dumb idiot. There isn't a criminal in this city that wouldn't shank you if given the opportunity."

I nodded, "Fair point."

"Boss is out for your head." Alex grabbed a glass to clean it with the rag on their shoulder, "You need to watch your back."

With a smirk, I clapped Tony on his shoulder, "That's what Iron Man is for." Tony raised his glass with a lopsided grin of his own in agreement. "I'm being looked after, Alex. To a maddening point almost."

"Black Widow too?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"She actually picked out this entire outfit." I motioned to myself, "Minus the jacket."

Alex nodded, "I knew you were too well dressed to have picked your own clothes." I shot them a glare, but it didn't deter them at all, "Get me her phone number and I'll stop bitching at you about tempting fate."

"Sorry, she's currently dating a mentally unstable archer." Tony cut in.

Alex cursed with a shake of their head, "You fuck the soldier yet?" I choked on my drink and Tony raised an eyebrow at the statement, glancing back and forth between us. Alex shook their head, "He's got the shoulders. She goes weak in the knees for that shit."

"Oh, does she?" Tony turned in his seat to grin at me.

I shook my head and mumbled into the ring of my drink, "I am not drunk enough for this conversation."

"Alright, she's a sucker for broad shoulders." Tony motioned to Alex. "What else you got for me? The more embarrassing the better."

I pointed at them, "Don't you dare."

Alex smirked, "Don't worry. Patient-Bartender confidentiality."

"That's no fun." Tony countered. He continued to banter with them while I watched on in amusement. There was something entirely odd about watching Alex and Tony interact. It was like my past was colliding with my future. It sounded like nothing good could come from that, yet here they were joking around like they were old friends themselves. It helped that Tony was a charming bastard and Alex tended to get along with anyone and everyone with their calming personality.

The two of us ordered another round of drinks that Alex made with their typical ease and swagger. Tony took one sip of the original concoction Alex whipped up for him and cursed, "Fuck, you have to come work for me. I'll hire you for every party I throw."

"Hmm." Alex shrugged. "I'll think about it. Everyone needs a hobby. You rich people order some boring ass drinks though."

"You'll get to see Aj make a fool out of herself in from of the rich people."

"Hey!"

Alex nodded, "Deal. Call me when you need me."

I rolled my eyes, "You'd hate bartending for the fancy events."

"I'll just hire her for the fun Avenger parties then."

They pointed at Tony, "Problem solved. Besides, how else am I gonna get to see your dumb as shit face."

"Aw, I didn't realize you missed me so much, Alex." I leaned against the bar with a grin.

"Your brand of chaotic dumbass doesn't come around very often." Alex retaliated. "I miss watching you accidentally get into bar fights."

Tony turned to me with a raised eyebrow, "How do you accidentally get into a bar fight?"

"That bar fight with Kyle was accidental." I shrugged and Tony rolled his eyes at the memory.

Alex slammed the metal shaker in their hand down onto the bar hard, "Kyle? Kyle fucking Osborne?"

"Is everyone's middle name 'fucking' to you?" Tony questioned.

"Yes." I pointed at Tony then pointed to Alex, "Also, yes."

Alex turned a glare to their new friend, "You let the idiot get into a fight with Osborne? That piece of shit, motherfuckin—"

"First off, I didn't let her do anything." Tony held up his hands in surrender, "The idiot wandered off and did that shit herself."

"That's like the fourth time I've been called idiot in the past thirty minutes—"

"Secondly", Tony cut me off, "She absolutely destroyed him. I mean, she wiped the floor with his ass."

Alex rolled their eyes, "I know the idiot can beat him up—"

"Again, with the idiot talk—"

"Osborne is a yellow-bellied asshole." Alex scoffed and looked back to me, "If he's crawling out from whatever rock he lived under to try and get at you, you know worse is yet to come."

I shrugged and finished the last of my drink, "I'll probably be fine."

Tony, I noticed, looked a little more concerned by Alex's words than I was. I knew Alex was a worry wart though. Despite their arguments, they were protective of their favorite regulars here at Billy's. Tony finished the last of his drink while our conversation drifted to something not me related.

As we rose to leave, Alex reached across the bar to grab Tony's shirt, "Listen up, Iron Man, if my idiot gets hurt I'm coming for you. I got a box under the bar filled with shanks and knives I've confiscated here in the bar."

"Don't worry. I got her." Tony replied sincerely. He then smirked, "You really got a box of knives?" Alex let go of him and then reached under the bar for something. They dropped a plastic bin onto the counter and just like they said it was filled to the brim with makeshift shanks and knives of all shapes and sizes. Tony hummed, "Cool."

"I'll swing around more, Alex. Promise." I called out. I had gotten their number put in my phone too since I had lost it with my old phone. Tony pulled a couple hundred dollar bills out of his wallet and threw it onto the counter. Alex stared at it with wide eyes, but Tony just nodded at them.

They picked up the cash and replied, "You better, idiot."

I shot them a wink before dragging Tony out of the dusty bar. He hummed in amusement and gave me a slight bob of his head, "Not bad. I still gave both kidneys so that's a win."


	2. Captain America's Replacement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: A deleted scene from somewhere between chapter 3 and chapter 4.  
> This one goes out to @Beeskneesandwhatever  
> She mentioned in a comment she wanted to see Stevie boy watching the Russian fight and I figured why the hell not? Forreal if there is a scene I kind of breeze over and you wanna see more detail of it just let me know and I’ll make a deleted scene of it if I can!
> 
> I’m also still working on the Paris vacation deleted scene!

* * *

* * *

_“Now, I'm about to do to you what Limp Bizkit did to music in the late ‘90s.” –Deadpool_

* * *

They were on their way home and Steve couldn’t stop his staring at the unconscious woman lying on a medical bed tucked into the corner of the quinjet. She had multiple IV lines connected to her keeping her both hydrated while also pumping her full of as much antibiotics as her system could take. The young woman was also intubated and put on a ventilator since her pneumonia had been so severe. It carried the risk of more infection, but they had to weigh their options.

The Russian doctors they went to see first were adamant about her staying. They had stabilized her, but still she was in risky water. Aj Bradshaw could still technically die from her injuries and that knowledge haunted him. Clint and Natasha may have been the ones to recruit her, but it was _his_ mission, _his_ _unyielding desire_ to find Bucky, that put her here.

Her face was still swollen. Skin marred with bruises in various stages of healing. The right side of her head, right above her ear, had stitches from a gash and there was another tear of the skin in the shape of a crescent moon on her cheekbone that was ugly and red. Her right hand was in a splint, knuckle broken, and Steve was amazed that the list of physical injuries ended there. How did this woman survive? She was small, less than 5’5” for sure, and she couldn’t weigh more than 145 pounds soaking wet. Granted, the woman had muscle tone, he could see her athletic figure, but still she was more slim than built.

“ _Rogers_.”

Steve turned to see Natasha nodding him toward the front of the cockpit with the others. He gave the woman one last glance, a sigh under his breath, then turned to join his team. Clint, Natasha, and now him, all stood around the back of Tony who was sitting in a chair doing something on the computer.

“What is this?” Steve nodded to the screen. It was still a mess of numbers and letters in some line of code. All gibberish to him.

Tony shrugged, “I wanna see how she got those injuries.”

“Are you insane?” Steve snapped. “That’s an invasion of her privacy.”

“She got kidnapped and taken to a shady Russian bunker and looks like someone shoved her down a few Rocky Mountains and then slammed a truck into her.” Tony retorted.

Steve shook his head, “It was an _illegal fighting ring_. We know how she got those injuries.”

“She must have had helped.” Natasha shrugged. “We should find out who. Besides, we gotta write a report on this anyways. Clint’s gonna use SHIELD resources to bust the illegal ring back home—”

Clint nodded with a slightly raised hand, “I am.”

“—so knowing all the facts is important to the mission.”

Tony nodded and turned to look at him, “Plus, we’re all super nosy and curious.”

The three of them nodded in agreement nonchalantly and Steve had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. He motioned to the computer with one hand before crossing his arms. Tony smirked and went back to pulling up whatever he was pulling up. A few seconds later a grainy, colored video popped up and began to play.

“Well that won’t do.” Tony mumbled and typed into the computer a little more. The video shifted and slowly blinked into focus. It wasn’t crystal clear, but it was much better. The camera was focused on the gated ring where a large, blonde woman was pacing and riling up the crowd. Tony grunted and went to work again then seconds later there was sound. “I think they end up posting these fights online somewhere. Dark net. It’s the only explanation as to why we have a perfect view, color, and sound.”

That disgusted Steve further.

Suddenly, the crowd’s cheers turned to boos and one side split like the red sea for someone to pass through. Aj Bradshaw. Her short hair was tied into a low, tiny ponytail, and she had on the same clothes they found her in. A red, white, and blue get-up consisting of spandex short and a sports bra.

Natasha pointed to the screen, “The head injury came first. Before this fight. Probably was from when they picked her up.” Tony, Clint, and Steve leaned forward with a squint, and they ignored the scoff the red head gave them. “She’s dizzy, or faint, you can see it in her gait. Plus…” She waited. The woman yelled something out at the blonde, asking for tape, and began to match her opponent’s steps. Natasha paused it when she saw it again. “ _Blood_. She has dried blood on her face from her ear. Her skull was fractured _before_ the fight.”

There was silence amongst them as they took in this new information. The Russians broke this poor woman’s skull then threw her into a gated arena to be pummeled on. Steve felt his stomach twist as he realized he was about to watch her get beat into the ground mercilessly.

The fight began, and if they had missed her wobbly gait before it was evident now. The blonde woman was a behemoth, a goliath, compared to Aj Bradshaw and the woman used that as well as she could. Aj ducked attacks and tried to keep distance. Her opponent caught her in a series of punches that she dodged with skill, but Steve watched as she ducked straight into a punch. It hit her dead on and Aj crumpled to the floor. The crowd went wild as the blonde celebrated.

The young woman rolled over, letting her face press against the concrete for a second more, before pushing herself up. She faced the camera now, their dance had put them on opposite sides, and Steve could see only fire in the woman’s gaze. Her familiar blue eyes ablaze. Unprotected hands up to protect her face.

Her opponent let out a booming laugh and motioned to her, “ _Are you ready to suffer, America?!_ ”

They watched as Aj spat out a mouthful of blood then gave the blonde a grin, her white teeth stained pink, “ _Hey_.” She motioned to herself with her hands. “ _That’s Captain America to you._ ” Steve’s eyes widened and the other three glanced at him. With a roar, the blonde charged and Aj cursed, “ _Fuck_.”

Tony quickly hit pause and turned to face him with a small smirk. Steve shook his head, “What?”

“The poor girl’s brain is probably _Jell-O_ in her skull right now, and she’s still _so much cooler_ than you.” Tony said. “Do you think we can hire her on as the new Captain America?” Steve rubbed his face tiredly. “I mean, she looks better in the colors too.”

Clint reached over his shoulder and hit play again. The usually chipper archer nothing but business at the moment. Tony sighed and turned back around. The fight went on for a another few minutes and Aj wasn’t doing so terrible. She was taking hits, each one slowing her more, but she gave out just as many. Unfortunately, the worst injury she gave out was just a broken nose.

Aj lunged forward and threw an uppercut into the blonde’s diaphragm. A disorienting, and devastating move in a fight. She then tried to follow it up by grabbing the back of her knelt over opponent and driving it into her knee, but Steve saw the flaw. The punch to the diaphragm had used most of her energy and the young woman didn’t have the strength to follow through. The blonde blocked the knee which left Aj in the worst position she could’ve been in. Steve watched as the woman slammed a punch right where Aj’s skull fracture was and he felt like someone had kicked him in the gut.

The hit sent Aj to floor, limp, and they watched helplessly as the blonde climbed on top of her and began to punch without mercy. Aj managed to throw her arms up, but it did nothing. Seconds later, the blonde jumped up with her hands raised in victory and Steve just stared at Aj’s unmoving form. Steve watched her chest rise and fall while waiting for someone to come into the ring and drag Aj away.

It was over. The fight was over. Steve turned to leave with plans of sitting by her bedside and toiling over what he could’ve done different. How he could possibly make this up. But, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Natasha’s eyes remained glued to the screen, she nodded to it once.

Aj’s fingers twitched first. Her hands slowly curled into fists and after a sharp intake of air, she rolled over onto her stomach. The crowd had gone silent. Everyone watched in shock at the woman who should be dead, or out cold at the least. Aj pulled her arms up, pressing her fists into the concrete ground, and with a cry of nothing but agony she pushed herself up.

“Holy shit.” Tony breathed the words everyone was thinking.

She looked bad. One eye swollen shut, a broken nose, blood dripping down her face. Shakily, Aj lifted her hands into a ready position.

The blonde chuckled, but Steve saw the tension in her body, “ _You just do not stay down, Kroshka_.”

“ _Yeah_.” Aj spat. Her voice sounded like gravel in a blender. “ _I get that a lot. Personal flaw, I guess. Nobody’s perfect_.”

How was she mouthing off? Hell, how was she standing??

“ _I respect that_.” Her opponent nodded. “ _Almost enough that I don’t want to kill you_.”

“ _That’s nice of you_.”

“ _Do you wish to continue?”_

Aj spat out another mouthful of blood, most of it just running down her chin. It was probably from her broken nose. She threw her hands out in a wide gesture and smirked though the smirk looked wrong and lopsided from her swollen features, “ _Why do you ask? Are you tired? We just started, Helga_!”

Helga, as Aj called her, stiffened again then stuck out a foot, “ _Kroshka, you come and kiss my feet. Kneel in front of me, and I will not kill you tonight._ ”

“ _Well, as wonderful as that deal sounds…”_ Aj rolled her shoulders, flinched at the movement, then leveled a deadly glare at the blonde. Her injuries did not lessen her fire. “ _I’m really not good at following directions_.”

Helga growled and marched forward with an arm cocked back. Steve watched, in awe and shock, as Aj lunged forward and threw a right elbow up into Helga’s chin making the woman’s teeth gnash together painfully. Aj followed it up with a punch to the throat, one that had Helga gasping desperately for breath, and then hit her again this time a punch to the ear. Helga finally threw her hands back up, wild, panicked motions, but Aj ducked behind her and lifted her leg for a push kick. Her heel dug into the base of the woman’s spine and Helga fell to her knees with a cry of pain. 

Aj, unrelenting now, dove toward her and Helga turned in time to catch her. The blonde threw her to the ground again and sat on top of her waist to deliver a round of punches. Steve held his breath unintentionally. She needed to get up. She needed to throw Helga off. Instead, he watched in horror as Aj dropped her hands entirely. She was hit in the face twice more, but before he could wonder if she had given up, she grabbed the back of Helga’s head with both hands and brought it down to slam her skull into the other woman’s.

“ _Fuck_!” Clint cried in surprise. “Did she _just_ —”

Helga was dazed enough for Aj to throw the woman off and climb on top. Then she became a flurry of attacks. There was an almost feral look in her eyes as she slammed her fist into the woman’s face over and over and over again. Helga raised her arms to block, but Aj swiped them away with ease and kept going. Steve watched as Helga desperately began to tap at Aj’s thigh, asking to tap out, and for one second he didn’t think she would stop.

Just as suddenly as the onslaught had begun though, it ended. Helga laid on the ground, choking on blood, trying to gather her bearings and Aj stood up and stumbled back.

Aj was wavering now. She took another step back only to fall onto her butt and then onto her back. The crowd was screaming in anger at the outcome as Aj just laid there as still as a corpse. A man in a suit entered the ring and began to drag Aj out. Tony ended the video and for a second they were all silent.

“She won the fight.” Clint shook his head. “ _Holy hell_ , she _won_ the fight??”

“I’m still stuck on the part where she used her _broken skull_ to headbutt a _Russian_?” Tony motioned to his own head. Steve watched as Natasha and Clint shared a look. He glanced over his shoulder to where the young woman still laid recovering. Before he saw her as a young woman, innocent and helpless, stolen away to be beat to death because of him. Now? Steve still blamed himself. That was obviously clear, but Aj Bradshaw was far from helpless. She was a _fighter_. In every definition of the word. He was eager to actually meet her. Tony’s voice brought him back to focus, “Okay, official vote time, who all agrees that we should fire Rogers and hire her as the new Captain? Hands? Let me see hands.”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * ["Fuck Joss Whedon": a found poem of AO3 tags](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29397195) by [thenewbuzwuzz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenewbuzwuzz/pseuds/thenewbuzwuzz)




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